IIJA Bureau of Land Management Alaska Threatened and Endangered Species Program | L23AS00252

Opportunity Information: Apply for L23AS00252

The IIJA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska Threatened and Endangered Species Program (Funding Opportunity Number L23AS00252) is a discretionary federal funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior through the Bureau of Land Management. It is structured as a cooperative agreement, which usually means the BLM expects to have substantial involvement during the life of the project (for example, coordinating on methods, approvals, data needs, or field priorities) rather than simply issuing a grant and stepping back. The program sits in the natural resources category under CFDA/Assistance Listing 15.246 and is focused on work connected to threatened and endangered species in Alaska on or related to BLM-managed lands and program responsibilities.

A wide range of public and nonprofit entities are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Tribal governments; other Tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status. At the same time, the notice is explicit about who cannot apply: individuals and for-profit organizations are ineligible for awards under this NOFO. That restriction is important for organizations that partner with private-sector entities, because it signals that a for-profit partner could potentially participate as a contractor or collaborator depending on project structure and federal rules, but cannot be the applicant or direct recipient under this specific announcement.

Funding is capped at an award ceiling of $200,000 per award. The opportunity was created on February 8, 2023, with an original application closing date of April 10, 2023. The source information does not specify the expected number of awards in the provided fields, so applicants would typically look to the full notice for details on total funding available, anticipated award counts, project periods, and any cost share or match requirements (none are stated in the excerpt provided).

One notable limitation in the description is that this particular NOFO does not support entities hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The notice emphasizes that the Public Lands Corps Act (16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II) is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that framework. As a result, organizations that want to propose youth or internship-style conservation crews under Public Lands Corps authorities are directed away from this program and toward a different, specifically designated funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, this means proposals under L23AS00252 should be designed around threatened and endangered species program needs without relying on Public Lands Corps hiring mechanisms, and youth corps-style work should be routed through the separate youth conservation NOFO instead.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as targeted support for conservation, assessment, monitoring, research, planning, or related on-the-ground activities that advance BLM Alaska threatened and endangered species priorities, carried out by eligible governmental, Tribal, nonprofit, and educational institutions under a cooperative agreement model, with clear eligibility exclusions and a clear boundary separating it from BLM youth/intern crew authorities.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IIJA Bureau of Land Management Alaska Threatened and Endangered Species Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.246.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-02-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for L23AS00252

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: